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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Paul Beyer to Address Albany Roundtable on April 13Director of Smart Growth Planning at the NYS Department of State

ALBANY, NY – March 25, 2011 – Paul Beyer, director of Smart Growth Planning at the New York State Department of State, will address the Albany Roundtable on Wednesday, April 13. Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are held at the historic University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany.

Various New York state agencies are involved with the Smart Growth initiative, which is committed to working with localities to use smart, sensible planning to create livable communities, protect our natural resources and promote economic growth. Smart Growth bolsters and complements the state’s overall sustainability agenda.

Among other things, Beyer will discuss the Smart Growth Infrastructure Policy Act of 2010, which emphasizes infrastructure investments in smart growth projects.

In his position as director, Beyer oversees the governor’s Smart Growth cabinet, a group of state agencies committed to promoting Smart Growth on the state and local levels in New York. His experience in land use and Smart Growth began when he worked in the New York State Assembly, where he focused on land use, environmental policy and public health policy. Beyer served on the board of directors of Partners for a Livable Western New York, the premier Smart Growth advocacy group in the Buffalo area. Beyer has a law degree from the University at Buffalo.

Reservations for the April 13 luncheon are required by Monday, April 11 and can be made by calling 518-431-1440 (through the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce) or by e-mail at albanyroundtable@yahoo.com .

The luncheon is open to the public and the cost is $15. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. All luncheon participants are invited to enter the Roundtable Raffle for a pair of passes to the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s Vanguard Show House which opens on May 3 in Loudonville.

Advance-sale tickets will also be available for the Albany Roundtable’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the University Club. The event will feature a social hour with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and a presentation by Visiting Speaker Janet Flammang, the author of The Taste for Civilization: Food, Politics and Civil Society, (University of Illinois Press, 2009.) The book explores the idea that table activities – the mealtime rituals of food preparation, serving and dining – lay the foundation for a proper education on the value of civility, the importance of the common good, and what it means to be a citizen. Tickets are $30.

RSVP and Prepay

About the Roundtable

The Albany Roundtable is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that presents a unique opportunity for people from around the region and from all walks of life to gather to hear speakers with diverse viewpoints on timely subjects.